Pete Seeger (1919-2014) "A time for every purpose......"

In 1958 or ’59 Pete Seeger’s
publisher complained that he was writing too many topical and protest songs and
needed a song with more commercial potential, another “Good Night Irene.”
Angrily Seeger looked through his notebook and found some verses from an
ancient book that he had copied down a year or so before: “I added one line,
omitted a few lines, and repeated the first two lines as a chorus, plus one new
word repeated three times. Taped it. Mailed it the next morning. Got a letter
from the publisher two days later, ‘Wonderful; just what I hoped for…’”

"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To
Everything There Is a Season)" was adapted by Seeger from the Book of
Ecclesiastes, a document of wisdom literature from the Hebrew Old Testament.
Wisdom literature was a genre of writing found in many cultures throughout the
Ancient Near East. It is characterized by sayings that illustrate and teach
about virtue, and offers insights into each culture’s perspective of nature and
reality. The Book of Ecclesiastes’ primary protagonist is Qoheleth, a character
whose purpose is to find out how to live the best possible life in a perplexing
world that ends only in death.

Tradition holds that the Book of
Ecclesiastes was written by the mythic King Solomon. Solomon was supposed to have
reigned from 970 to 931 BC but most Hebrew historians and linguists think that
the document had its origins much later than the biblical chronology
suggests. Its grammar and syntax are of the Late Hebrew linguistic style and
the presence of Aramaic and Persian words date it to the 3rd or early 4th
century BC at the very earliest. Key concepts within the book also suggest the
influence of Hellenistic Greek philosophies that also date from that later time
period.

The first eight verses of the third
chapter of Ecclesiastes are the source of Seeger’s inspiration:

“To every thing
there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be
born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is
planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time
to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time
to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a
time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a
time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a
time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a
time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

Seeger’s sole lyrical contribution
(besides the title) is an addition to the closing line: “….a time for
peace, I swear it’s not too late.”

Seeger began performing “Turn, Turn,
Turn” in 1959 but didn’t record it until 1962. It was actually first recorded
by The Limeliters on their 1962 album "Folk Matinee" which
was released a few months before Seeger’s 1962 live record “The Bitter
& the Sweet.” One of the Limeliters’ guitar-banjo accompanists was Jim
McGuinn who was also a big fan of Seeger’s and knew his repertoire. A year
later McGuinn was providing musical arrangements for Judy Collins. He arranged
a more rhythmical ‘chamber-folk’ style, 4/4 version of the song for Collins'
1963 album "Judy Collins 3".

By 1965 McGuinn had formed a rock
band that played folk tunes. The Byrds had already had one Top Forty #1 song
with their version of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” McGuinn says that one day his
girlfriend had requested “Turn, Turn, Turn” on their tour bus between shows.
When McGuinn played it for her, “it came out rock ‘n roll because that’s
what I was programmed to do…..I couldn’t do it as it was traditionally. It came
out with that samba beat….” He thought the lyrics and added rhythm
gave it potential and the band released it as a single and the title track of
their next album, and both reached the Top 10 on the pop charts in October
1965, and solidified folk rock as a popular musical trend.

The America of October 1965 was
fractured by civil rights issues and by the escalation of the Vietnam War.
“Turn, Turn, Turn” had evolved in much the same way all folk music does (it was
adapted and adopted), and it did what any good folk song would do: It spoke to
people who were unsettled by their social and political climate. It addressed
issues of immediate concern. It provoked thought and cried out for solutions.

Seeger’s response to the hit song was:
“I was delighted with what they did…even though they changed the melody
[and left off the last verse]. When I sing it now, I have to laugh, because
half the audience is singing their melody and half is singing mine, and they
clash.” Later he sometimes even gave up and sang the Byrds melody.

Seeger welcomed the royalties as
well. But because he only wrote the music and six words and can’t share the
income with King Solomon (is it ironic that a king can’t share in royalties?),
Seeger provides 45% of the song’s riches to the Israeli Committee
Against House Demolitions (icahdusa.org).

Palestinian Home Demolished with "Just Cause"

ICAHD was founded
as "an Israeli peace and human rights organization dedicated to ending
the occupation of the Palestinian territories and achieving a just peace
between Israelis and Palestinians." In particular ICAHD
uses non-violent, direct-action means of resistance to end Israel's policy
of demolishing Palestinian homes in the occupied territories. ICAHD's activities
include exhibits, films, workshops, tours of the occupied territories,
publication of books and articles on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank,
East Jerusalem and Gaza,
international advocacy.

ICAHD also
organizes the rebuilding of demolished Palestinian houses using a network of
Israeli, Palestinian and international volunteers. As of April 2012 the
organization has rebuilt approximately 1,000 homes including 200 in East Jerusalem. In addition to rebuilding demolished
Palestinian houses, ICAHD often takes legal actions on behalf
of Palestinians whose houses have been demolished or are threatened with
demolition.

Pete and Toshi

But "Turn, Turn, Turn" transcends politics, and in the 1970's Pete's wife Toshi (1922-2013) wrote her own words to the song. Because her life at that time was less focused on political and social activism and more on family and children, her lyrics reflect the wonder of childhood and the hope of parents. Here's a link to Dan Zanes & Elizabeth Mitchell performing Toshi Seeger's version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkUldreCyZU

Pete and Toshi, like Qoheleth, sought how to live the best possible life in a perplexing
world. They both succeeded.

"If there is a human race still on earth in 2108, it will be partly because of station KZFR Community Radio 90.1 FM and its many supporters. THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY. Stay well, keep on." -- Pete Seeger, June 2008